Meditation – The Christian's Call to Courage
by William Gurnall
A cowardly spirit is beneath the lowest duty of a Christian. You of all people will need courage and determination if you hope to obey your heavenly Captain's orders. He commands you, "Be thou strong and very courageous…" Why? So you can stand in battle against warlike nations? So you can make a great name for yourself? No! But "…that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses, My servant, commanded thee" (Josh. 1:7).
That is why you need a more courageous spirit to obey God faithfully than to command an army of men; to be a Christian than a captain. The challenge exceeds the bravery of the best unless they have help from a source greater than themselves.
Secular reason sees a Christian on his knees and laughs at the feeble posture God's child assumes as his enemies descend upon him. Only divine insight can perceive what mighty preparations are actually taking place. Yet just as an unarmed soldier cannot achieve the military exploits of a well- equipped infantryman, so the carnal person cannot hope to do the exploits for God which the committed Christian can expect through prayer.
Prayer is the main line that leads straight to the throne of God. By it the Christian approaches God with a humble boldness of faith, takes hold of Him, wrestles with Him, and will not let Him go until he has His blessing. Meanwhile, the carnal person, asleep to the dangers of his sinful state, rushes headlong into battle with a foolhardy confidence that soon turns yellow when his conscience wakes up and sounds the alarm that his sins are upon him. Then, unnerved by this surprise attack, he throws down his weapon, flees from the presence of God with guilty Adam, and dares not look Him in the face.
Every duty in the Christian's whole course of walking with God is lined with many difficulties which shoot at him through the hedges on his march toward heaven. He must fight the enemy for every inch of ground along the way. Only those noble-spirited souls who dare take heaven by force are fit for this calling.
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William Gurnall (1616-1679)
An extract from "The Christian in Complete Armour."